Check out Dave Ramsey. We've done well with his system & I've seen some families do amazing things with next to nothing in terms of income.

And stop "prepping" until you get your finances in order. The chances of a zombie apocalypse tends to hover right around zero. The chances of growing old are a lot higher. Prepare for the most likely event first.

Don't worry, you aren't alone.

It will probably involve a job change. They are out there, just takes some time to find one.

The new employer line is "The job is yours, but we don't know when it will start" Heard that from more than a few friends college grads on up to professionals. Just how it's rolling now.

I'm back working retail 36 hours a week, keeps the bills paid, but no money for toys. Trying to sell some of the old cheap junk I've accumulated while I figure out what to do w/ the rest of my life.

Thanks for reminding me to pay the credit card bill.

Gig 'em,

backbencher

OP I'm in a similar boat and have been for a year now.

I am somewhat fortunate because I can freelance my work from home but drumming up that work has been difficult at times. I am looking fot a part time job to at least cover the house payment while I am back in school. My wife has been a true blessing to me while i am out of full time work.

One thing I have done to "stay in the game"- and am happy about- is horse trading or selling my extra gear so I can still acquire new survival stuff. I had spare guns and gear that I have turned into shoring up other deficiencies in my preparations.

Best of luck to you. It's not easy right now.

What do your bills look like? Do you have cable? Do you go out to eat? What are you spending habits?

I know people that make twice what I do, have nothing to show for it and dead ass broke while driving a big ole POS car. Its not the money you have, its how you handle it.

I left my previous job 3 weeks ago, and am currently waiting for the job I had lined up to start. I'll get the job no doubt, but I'm not sure how much longer I'll be waiting. I'll also be moving in the next month, which will be a fairly large expense. I do have savings, so for me the best thing to do is cut every expense as much as possible. All my meals are no more than 65 cents each (lots of dried beans, rice, pasta, and home cooking). I ride my bike everywhere, which on top of saving gas has also motivated me to buy less consumer junk. I live in a city where bike riding is easy, I know some cities are not that way. I live in central FL and have not yet turned on my air conditioning this year, though that may change pretty soon.

You mention you have a family, try substituting the current things you do for recreation with cheaper alternatives. A while back my wife and I decided a typical date night would cost as much as a cheap Nintendo 64 from the gaming store. Now instead of a date night to dinner, we get 1-2 games for the N64 and have amassed quite the collection, I could see us having free date nights for a long time to come, because we changed from eating dinner, to acquiring something that can provide entertainment whenever we want for no additional cost.

Good luck!

Prepping doesn't necessarily mean buying stuff all the time. If your brand new, maybe so.

I think "reallocating" and being frugal is a big part.

Being better organized, as Shooter Gregg said, stretching a dollar, using rice as an extender (one cup rice can turn one persons worth of chili into darn near four persons worth) and so on and so forth.

With that in mind, shooter gregg, what was your shopping list like?

The key is to realistically plan for what lies ahead.

It looks like you're in Wisconsin? Just ask yourself what the most common emergency situations are in Wisconsin.

Around here, its tornados and ice storms which usually result in power outages for up to a week when they occur. What's the best way to prep for them? Have a bit of food and basic camping supplies.

We lost power for about 3 days 4 years ago after an ice storm. Everything in the fridge/freezer was moved outside to keep cold, I got my propane heater from the garage, grabbed my sleeping bags and a lantern, and we were fine.
No electricity, no running water, no genny, and I'd dare say I actually enjoyed it.

My parents were without power for 3 weeks 10 years ago due to straight winds almost destroying my hometown. Despite the rampant destruction, grocery stores were back open within a day or two. Dad broke out the candles and spent the next three weeks without power and without problems.

Dont think that you need a bunker and a years worth of food to be prepared. Normal groceries + a weeks worth of dry goods + cheap, basic camping gear = prepared for 99.9% of the problems you'll face.

Now, if you want to go beyond that and have tier one weapons and a bug out location and enough food to feed you for the rest of your life in your garage, that's cool. Just realize that you've crossed the line from need to want & its turned into a hobby. Nothing wrong with hobbies, just remember that a hobby is something that you do with disposable income after you've paid your bills and put back savings/retirement, and everything else.

Its kind of how I would like a generator, but realistically its a comfort item that might get used once or twice every other year. Given the ratio of bills to income that I have right now, its not high on my priority list.

I'm guessing English grammar was not including in your curricula?

Do what's necessary. No unneeded purchases, second small job, sell your body, etc.

Ditch plastic. Even debit cards. Pay cash only. Cuts down on even minor impulse buying.

I hit bottom financially 2 years ago.
I literally could not pay the bills.

The funny thing was that the credit cards immediately started making “offers”.
0% interest or settle (pay off the outstanding debt) at 50% (or less) of the total outstanding balance.
Mortgage company negotiated too.

Yes, taking these offers did hurt my credit, but not so bad, went from 780 to 640.

I felt like a bum taking this offer; but if your really broke there is nothing you can do.

It took over a year for me to find a good job again.
In the mean time I did all sorts of odd jobs and sold things to make ends meet. Credit cards and unsecured debt were my lowest priority on pay-off as they should be.
Unsecured debt is a gamble, one the banks feel they should never loose; but if they only waited a bit rather than trying to “close a deal” for whatever I could pay at my lowest point, they would have gotten all their money back.

It's pennies a day for some knowledge and entertainment and cheaper than magazines (being able to search often) but I hear you


thanks again all for some great info